SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego Police Officers Association tweeted out an infographic video of another round of violent incidents it says happened in the San Diego area.
The @SDPOA account said: "San Diego has experienced extremely violent incidents within the last 5 days. Our communities are becoming more violent and our citizens are at risk. We must stand with our officers to keep our City protected."
Some of the incidents include stabbings and shootings, and the association is calling for more officers to prevent these crimes before they happen.
"I think even without that tweet, I certainly hear people talking about it all of the time,” said law enforcement expert Kevin LaChapelle, who is a former El Cajon Police officer and current criminal justice professor.
ABC 10News asked if the area is in fact seeing more violent crimes and the need for more officers, and LaChapelle responded, "I definitely think it's a valid point. And I think that it actually calls attention to what is really happening right now ... I don't think there's any way anyone reasonably could look at this and say, 'Oh, I don't think there's been an increase in these things.'"
The president of the Police Officers Association says that some of these violent incidents have happened in city parks.
The POA president sent ABC 10News this statement: “For a second weekend in a row, there have been numerous violent incidents, including shootings and stabbings throughout the city. What is very disturbing is how many of these incidents were in City Parks: Egger Highlands, Chicano Park, Mira Mesa, and Emerald Hills. Parks should be safe for families and with low police staffing they have become war zones. We need more cops on the street to prevent shootings and stabbings before they happen and allow parks to be taken back by families.”
LaChapelle agreed that more officers are needed, but it’s going to take more than that.
"To see those things just recently, you know, I think it does require more. But not just more officers; more partnership with the community. Because there has to be that partnership. Police can't do it alone,” LaChapelle said.
ABC 10News reached out to the San Diego Police Department regarding the SDPOA’s tweet, but the department did not respond as of the publication of this story.
